All language subtitles for BBC Natural World 2017 Natures Miniature Miracles Eng

Not much bigger than an orange,

the pygmy marmoset is the smallest
monkey in the world.

They live in the largest tropical
forest on our planet -

the Amazon rainforest.

Their lives are full of
huge obstacles

but they don't let size
be a barrier to success.

With chisel-like teeth, they've
learned to tap into the trees,

feeding on their energy-rich sap.

These micro-monkeys
are the miners of the Amazon...

..leaving their mark
across the forest.

Too often in life
we overlook the little guys.

Overshadowed by bigger beasts,
their lives simply pass us by.

But if we stop and get down
to their level,

a remarkable world is revealed.

Take this gecko,
the size of just a few raindrops,

but somehow able to weather
the greatest of storms.

Or this bird,
the weight of a 20 pence piece,

who flies thousands of miles
for a meal.

What about this rather
plain little fish?

Well, he's a passionate artist
whose work deserves its own gallery.

So, while they may be small,

these creatures and others like them
have survival secrets

that are amongst the biggest and
most surprising on planet earth.

And now, at last,
they're taking centre stage.

It's time to meet
nature's miniature miracles.

The world is a big place...

..home to some huge animals...

..and exposed to wild weather.

RUMBLE OF THUNDER

So what does that mean if you're
one of the planet's small folk?

How are you supposed to make a
living in this big, bad world?

Well, you need to adapt.

You must develop extraordinary
skills.

And you've got to achieve
some pretty mind-boggling feats,

like coming back from the dead.

And, let's face it, there's no
greater miracle than that.

But whether big or small,

all living creatures have the same
basic needs -

food, finding a mate...

..and a safe place to live.

On an island in the Caribbean,

a tiny crab's biggest issue
is home security.

Hermit crabs have soft bodies that
make them vulnerable to attack

from predators and the elements.

A naked crab would quickly cook
in the intense tropical sun...

..so these miniature miracles have
come up with an incredible solution.

They use abandoned seashells
as mobile homes.

24/7 protection.

But there's a problem.

Right now, this chap is no bigger
than a dice,

but he'll continue to grow
throughout his life.

So if he wants to stay safe,
he must always be on the lookout

for a new larger shell to move into.

But finding a new home isn't
as easy as you might think.

On this paradise island, there's
a surprising shortage of shells.

Unless this is the opportunity
the small crab's been waiting for.

Unfortunately, it's probably a bit
too much to take on right now.

And he's not the only prospective
buyer in the area.

Hermit crabs can be anything
from a few millimetres long

to the size of a coconut...

..so there's a chance this new home
might suit someone else.

With housing stock
in such short supply,

the local crabs have learned
to do something

really quite extraordinary.

They've joined forces to set up
their own property market.

Each crab is looking for
the perfect property

with the right shape,
opening and weight.

Somehow the crabs reach an agreement

and, incredibly, they start to
assemble in a chain...

..largest at one end...

..smallest at the other.

All lined up,
they're ready to exchange,

and not an estate agent in sight.

The biggest crab is first to move.

So far, so good.
The chain's holding together.

Our little crab gets in position,
ready to make his big move.

His size means he's at the bottom
of the chain.

But just as he vacates
his old shell,

a newcomer arrives on the scene
to try and gazump him.

He can't afford to be left homeless.

A death sentence
in this tropical heat.

But fortune's on his side.

After all the swapping,
there's one empty shell left over.

And he wastes no time settling
into his spacious new home.

From the perfect beach hut

to a treehouse hiding one of
the world's smallest mammals.

Our second miniature miracle

lives in the giant bamboo forests
of south-west China.

Bamboo is the tallest
of all our grasses,

with some species capable
of growing up to 40 metres.

But this isn't just a big world,

it's also home
to some rather bad sorts.

HISSING

So if you're really small, how do
you survive in a place like this?

You hide.

A tiny slit in the bamboo stem
reveals the bijou home

of the bamboo bat.

A colony of 25 living in a space
the size of a teacup.

Each bat is not much bigger
than a bumblebee

but it's still a squeeze...

..which is hardly surprising

when you imagine a teacup
full of bumblebees.

BUZZING

These micro bats have evolved
special adhesive pads

on their thumbs, wrists and feet,

which help them make the most of
every corner of their secret home.

But what good is that
against what lurks outside?

If it got the chance, this snake
would devour the entire colony.

But that's where a miniature home
with a miniature front door

comes into its own.

At just six millimetres across,
no wider than a pencil,

there's no way the snake's
getting inside.

But what about the bats?

How do they come and go
through what is possibly

the smallest front door
in the animal kingdom?

Well, they've evolved super-thin
flattened skulls

and, while it may still be a squash,

they're able to squeeze themselves
through the tiny gap.

It's another miracle manoeuvre.

Once the coast is clear, the bats
go hunting for insects, like flies,

beetles and winged termites.

And that's where a more well-known
miracle comes into play.

Bats are the only mammal
that can fly

and one of the few to use
echolocation to find food,

sending out sound waves
that detect prey in the darkness.

And it's these miraculous skills,

combined with a canny choice of
home,

that are the key to the bamboo bat's
success in this forest of giants.

But what if surviving means
you need to protect yourself

from your own kind?

On the east coast of Australia,

over a hundred species of shark
inhabits the tropical waters

of the Great Barrier Reef...

..including the largest shark of
all.

The 12-metre-long whale shark
is the biggest fish in the world.

Sharing the reef with this giant

is one of the smallest members of
the shark family - the epaulette.

He's less than one metre long...

..which, unfortunately,
makes him ideal prey

for some of the other larger sharks.

So in a world of bigger,
badder sharks,

how does the tiny epaulette
stay off the menu?

Without a safe home to escape to,
he keeps a low profile

and waits.

Twice a day the tide goes out,

which means conditions on the reef
change dramatically.

As the water departs,
so do the big sharks.

The water is far too shallow
for them now.

But the epaulette's size means
he's able to make the most

of this brief moment
in the life cycle of the reef.

At last he can stop worrying
about being someone else's dinner

and focus on finding his own.

But it doesn't last long.

The tide's still dropping

And soon the epaulette
is left high and dry.

If he's not careful, he'll barbecue
in the scorching Australian sun.

Even more worryingly, this fish out
of water is struggling to breathe.

But the miraculous epaulette has
evolved an extraordinary strategy

to cope with this.

By slowing his breathing and heart
rate and powering down his brain,

he can survive on his last breath
for up to an hour.

When the oxygen levels get critical,

another incredible survival strategy
kicks in.

His fins turn into prototype legs.

This cunning fish
breaks all the rules...

..and is the only shark that can
walk himself out of danger.

The epaulette shark isn't the only
miniature miracle

to have evolved remarkable
superpowers.

High on a remote rocky plateaux
in Venezuela

lives the three-centimetre-long
pebble toad.

Unusually for an amphibian,
he can't hop.

So, camouflaged to his surroundings,

this hopless toad creeps around
looking for insects to eat.

But he's not the only hunter
up here.

A toad-eating tarantula.

Faced with the enemy,

the toad employs an unexpected
escape strategy.

He transforms himself
into a toad-like ball.

Tensing all his muscles,
he becomes rigid like rubber.

Perfect for bouncing down
the mountain out of danger.

He's safe and, remarkably,
completely unharmed.

A female Arabian fat-tailed scorpion

on its regular night-time hunt
for beetles.

But while she's looking for food,

someone's eyeing her up
as a potential meal.

A desert fox.

Once the moon comes up,
its soft light could expose her.

So this scorpion has
an extraordinary super sense -

an early warning detection system

that gives her an edge
in this nocturnal world.

UV sensitive cells on her shell

warn her it's an hour
until moonrise...

..which gives her plenty of time
to run and hide

before it blows her cover.

When you're small, life's worries
extend beyond just being eaten.

You'd think a single raindrop might
drown a tiny Brazilian pygmy gecko.

Tricky when you live
in a rainforest.

But these geckos have evolved
super hydrophobic skin.

Water doesn't wet them.

Their skin is so water repellent

that even a tumble into a puddle
isn't fatal.

These miniature marvels
can literally walk on water.

But sometimes even remarkable
physical adaptations

aren't enough to help you survive.

East Africa.

Home to some of the world's
largest mammals...

..as well as one of its smallest.

A female elephant shrew,

more commonly known by
her African name of sengi.

She's 300 times smaller than a
lion...

..and 8,000 times smaller
than an elephant...

..which makes the vast savannah
a very dangerous place to live.

How on earth does she stay safe
out here without being trampled?

By living her life at top speed

and with brainpower
far beyond her size.

This miniature mastermind
has designed and built

a hidden network of trails
to get around.

Even when she does
encounter danger...

..these trails can mean the
difference between life and death.

A monitor lizard.

Drawing on a mental map
of her network,

the clever sengi is able to
figure out the best escape route.

Our fast-footed fugitive is built
for high-speed getaways too.

Like most mammals
and unlike reptiles,

her legs are directly
beneath her body...

..which makes her less stable

but much faster and more agile
than the lizard.

Astonishingly, this tiny tearaway,
who weighs less than half a kilo,

can reach speeds
of nearly 18 miles an hour.

For her size, she's twice as fast
as a cheetah...

..which definitely qualifies her

as one of our miniature miracles
of nature.

Life in the fast lane
requires a lot of fuel.

But while the sengi's secret network
allows her to find food efficiently

and discretely,
not everyone has it so easy.

We've all heard of the world's
great animal migrations...

..like the massive herds of caribou

who trek 1,500 miles through
the Arctic wilderness every year

to find food.

GEESE SQUAWK

And the five million snow geese
who fly en mass to northern Canada

looking for a summer feast
fit to feed a family.

But these are big animals
travelling in gigantic groups.

There's another, much less-known,

but perhaps even more impressive
annual migration,

and this one isn't migration
on a miniature scale.

This is a miniature miracle
on a mammoth migration.

Meet the rufous hummingbird.

This tiny bird weighs less
than a 20 pence piece

and yet every spring she flies over

4,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska...

..on her own.

Her destination - Tongass,

part of the largest temperate
rainforest in the world.

In spring, when the forest wakes up,

it offers the promise
of a seasonal banquet.

Rufous hummingbirds spend
the winter in the tropics,

where competition for food
is fierce.

Here, they get the place
to themselves.

They're the only hummingbird to
make this epic annual migration

to Alaska.

But when they get here,
they can't afford to rest.

Hummingbirds can flap their wings
an unbelievable 50 times a second.

Blink and you can miss it.

Great for hovering but, like any
racy sports car,

it's heavy on fuel -

one thing this female
doesn't have much of.

After the long trip here,
she's running on empty.

If she doesn't eat soon,
she might not last the day.

And if it wasn't enough that
this mini marathon flyer

has flown all the way from Mexico,

it looks like she's arrived too
early.

The flowers she's hoping to drink
nectar from haven't opened yet.

But being a mini miracle, our little
heroine doesn't get in a flap,

for she has brains
as well as stamina.

TAPPING SOUND

The distinctive tapping
of someone else hard at work.

A red-breasted sap sucker is busy
drilling holes in the trees

to release the sweet syrup
running inside.

Tree sap is quite similar
to flower nectar

as they both contain sugar
and protein.

It's exactly what the hungry
hummingbird needs

but is she brave enough
to steal from a bird

two-and-a-half times her size?

The sap sucker moves on
to a neighbouring tree

to continue drilling.

He'll be back to this one later,
once the sap is running freely.

The cunning hummingbird spots an
opportunity and makes her move.

Her tongue darts in and out
around 13 times a second.

If she's going to replenish
her energy levels,

she'll need to eat like this
every 20 minutes.

The hummingbird will rely on
this sneaky strategy to survive,

stealing food from right under
the sap sucker's nose

until the forest flowers bloom
in a few weeks' time.

Then, finally, she'll be able
to enjoy the benefits

of her long-distance journey.

But what if travel isn't an option

and the only food available in your
world is something you can't digest?

That's the situation our next
miniature hero finds itself in.

The Argentinian pampas covers over
150,000 square miles of grassland.

Every day, the industrious
grasscutter ant

toils in the fields, harvesting
a crop it can't actually stomach.

A single colony can contain
millions of ants

of many different shapes and sizes.

Those with the biggest jaws
do all the cutting...

..climbing high into the canopy
to carry out their work.

Down on the ground,
the smaller ones are the porters.

Incredibly, each
one-and-a-half-centimetre ant

can carry 50 times
its own bodyweight in grass,

which is like a human carrying
a medium-sized van on its back.

Believe it or not,
the ant's superhuman strength

actually comes from
their small size.

They have thicker muscles
relative to the size of their body

than larger animals, which means
they can produce more force.

But being able to lift
the equivalent of a van

is all very well
if you can balance it.

Not to mention the freeloaders
trying to shirk duties.

The ants work tirelessly,
ferrying grass back to their nest.

Each year, a single colony
will harvest

over half a tonne of grass cuttings.

But what for, when they
don't even eat grass?

What on earth are they doing
with their indigestible crop

and what are they actually eating?

The answer lies deep underground,

where the ants have built
their very own food factory.

Down here, they're feeding their
harvest to a very special fungus.

This fungus is found nowhere else
on earth.

When the ants feed it grass,
it grows,

producing edible fungus gardens.

Enough to feed an entire colony
of up to five million ants.

These ants have been producing food
like this for millions of years,

way before humans ever dreamt of
even cultivating their own food.

But there's a twist to this story.

The ants' special fungus
is also dangerous to them.

It produces carbon dioxide
which, when trapped underground,

could suffocate the entire colony.

So the ants have come up with
an astonishing solution.

They've built giant
ventilation units

that remove the potentially
deadly carbon dioxide

and draw in fresh air
for the busy factory workers below.

These humble heroes have not only
learnt how to produce their own food

but also how to remove dangerous
waste from their environment.

Two highly sophisticated behaviours
of a civilised society.

For a creature so small,

it really is a miniature miracle
on an industrial scale.

Finding ingenious ways to adapt
to their environment

is something our miniature miracles
do best.

The tropical forests
of Southeast Asia.

As night falls, some mini monkeys
are starting to stir.

12-centimetre-tall tarsiers.

The ancestors of these primates
were daytime hunters,

but there was so much competition
for food

they were forced into the shadows,

where they could have disappeared.

But they didn't surrender.

They evolved huge
gremlin-like eyes -

the largest of any mammal
relative to their body size...

..which helped them see
in the faintest light.

INSECTS CREAK

And enormous ears that seem to have
a life of their own...

..but give them ultrasonic hearing.

These two extraordinary
super senses opened up the night,

allowing tarsiers to home in
on almost anything that moves.

Tarsiers are the only
exclusively carnivorous primate.

They eat mostly flying insects,

including moths, locusts,
beetles and cicadas -

not the easiest of prey.

Once they've got dinner
in their sights,

they've got just milliseconds
to ambush and catch it.

But with a genuine spring
in their step,

these miniature assassins have no
problem taking a leap in the dark.

You see, they've also got
enormously long legs,

which they use to jump 40 times
their own body length.

And they're armed with long,
slender fingers,

ideal for snatching prey.

It's as if these
pocket-sized hunters

always belonged to
the rainforest night.

Perhaps the ultimate survivor in our
list of miniature miracles

is a plant that lives in one
of the harshest places on earth.

The vast Sahara Desert.

Life here has far more to worry
about than just finding food.

Where on earth do you find water?

Lots of plants can tolerate
a few hours or days without water.

Think about all the house plants
that get neglected yet survive.

But most will die if they're
subjected to prolonged drought.

This small dried-out ball of twigs
may have been dead for 100 years.

And yet, despite appearances,
all is not lost.

Because this plant...

..is the resurrection plant.

Blown by the wind, it's in
desperate need of a drink.

But around here, rain only falls
once or twice a year...

..and in the world's biggest desert,

you have to be very lucky
to find it.

So will this puddle be enough
to raise it from the dead?

Gradually, lifeless limbs
lap up the precious water.

Its resurrection has begun.

RUMBLE OF THUNDER

Now it's come back to life,

it must snatch this opportunity
to reproduce.

But this special plant
needs yet another miracle...

..rain.

The trigger for new life.

A chance for its seeds to germinate.

In just a few hours,
new shoots emerge.

And within weeks, these offspring
of the original plant flower,

producing seeds of their own.

Sadly, it's not long before the
burning African sun kills them.

But the seeds within their
withered branches live on,

ready for when they find rain,

even if it's a century from now.

RUMBLE OF THUNDER

In southern India,
rain is a more predictable event.

Monsoon clouds are building.

This annual phenomenon
triggers the breeding season

for our next miniature miracle.

Traditionally, male frogs
rely on their croak

to attract the opposite sex

but, unfortunately, their chorus
is falling on deaf ears.

They're struggling to be heard
over the noise of all this water.

So these tiny frogs, each one
no bigger than a paperclip,

have claimed a rock for their castle

and now they're using
a different technique

to impress the opposite sex.

These mini monarchs wave.

The more testosterone they have,
the more waving they do.

All of which helps these frog
princes attract a frog princess.

The tiny frogs' distinctive
courtship behaviour

has earned them their name.

These are foot-flagging frogs.

Yet another stroke of genius

from a small animal
facing a big problem.

BIRDS SING

But our little frogs' romantic woes

are nothing compared to those
of our next miniature miracle.

He's embarking on possibly the most
dangerous journey of his life

and all for the sake of trying to
find a partner.

This is the Australian
peacock jumping spider...

..a miracle mover who can't afford
to put a foot wrong.

He's only the size of a grain of
rice.

Yes, he's that small.

Which, in a place like this, means
almost anything could be dangerous.

But, in fact, the biggest threat
of all is the female he's after.

The silken road to finding her

is littered with the remains
of unsuccessful suitors.

A stark warning that,
if he doesn't get this right,

it could be his last day
on the planet.

She ambushes him from behind.

Now, what can he do to win her over?

Dance.

Dance for his life.

He unfurls his striking fan
and begins his routine.

Its elaborate shape and vibrant
colours resemble a peacock's tale.

But even his party outfit and his
best moves aren't impressing her.

Time to step it up a level.

As is so often the case
in the mating game,

it's not the males but the females
who call the shots.

The more unique the dance,

the more likely she is
to accept his advances.

This mating ritual can go on
for up to 50 minutes.

But at last his performance
is rewarded and they mate.

He's done his bit
and satisfied her needs,

but now her need is over...

..so she kills him anyway.

After all, his body will be the
perfect nourishment for their eggs.

Our next mini marvel wasn't blessed
with a vibrant party outfit

or even disco dance moves

and yet, somehow, he's still
got to attract the ladies.

The world's oceans are filled
with brilliant colours,

all designed to make their wearers
conspicuous.

But the tiny Japanese puffer fish
is so dull

he almost fades into the background.

If he's going to have any success
with the opposite sex,

he needs to perform a miracle
that defies belief.

He is nature's finest artist.

With a design of mathematical
precision in his head

and only fins for tools,
he starts to plough the sand.

He's sculpting it into
geometric shapes.

This dedicated artist works 24 hours
a day for a entire week.

There's no time for rest or the
current will destroy his creation.

He adds shells for decoration

Before a final tidy up.

At last, his vision is complete.

Using only what was available
to him,

this 12-centimetre fish has created
a masterpiece two metres across.

Nowhere else in nature does
an animal construct something

as complex and perfect as this.

If this doesn't get him noticed,
nothing will.

A female swollen with eggs
and ready to partner up

is tempted over to have a look.

He entices her into the centre
to get the best possible view.

Impressed, she retreats,
leaving him to make one alteration.

By the next morning,
the centre of the sculpture

has been flattened and all
the soft sand is in the middle.

He's created the perfect nest.

Right on cue, she arrives.

The male holds her cheek
and fertilises her eggs

as she releases them.

A quick flick of his fin
and he buries them in this sand.

Eggs laid, she departs...

..while he stays behind to fan them
until they hatch...

..his extraordinary work of art
fading away around him.

The Japanese puffer fish isn't
the only miraculous mini creature

beneath the waves.

We can't see them with the naked eye

but our seas are literally brimming
with hidden heroes.

Plankton.

Thousands of different types
and different species

you'd need a microscope to see.

Anything that drifts in the current
is classified as plankton.

The smallest are the plant-like
phytoplankton,

followed by the more animal-like
zooplankton.

Individually,
they're not that exciting,

but believe me, collectively,

these critters are some of the most
important species on our planet.

They're the bedrock
of the ocean food web.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner
for the krill...

..who get eaten by the fish.

Then in come the diving birds.

Agile sea lions.

Dolphins.

Sharks.

And all the way up to the biggest
mammals on earth - whales.

But that's not all.

The tiny phytoplankton perform
an even greater miracle still.

Just like terrestrial plants,

they use light from the sun
to photosynthesise

and produce energy for themselves.

One of the by-products
of that process is oxygen -

a gas required by almost
all life on earth.

There are so many phytoplankton
in our oceans

that they literally produce over
half of all the oxygen we breathe...

..which is surely the biggest
and most important miracle

of all our miniature heroes.

Without plankton, it's thought
that much of life on Earth

would disappear.

So there you have it.

We've seen a walking fish,

a dancing spider

and even a plant that can raise
itself from the dead.

A little-known and often unseen
world of miraculous beings.

They've adapted...

..developed extraordinary skills...

..and pulled off some astounding
feats just to survive.

And, finally, consider this.

90% of all our planet's creatures

are no bigger than
a human fingertip.

Without us knowing it, these tiny
superstars dominate our world...

..and we can't afford to overlook
a single one of them.